SQuID (subcutaneous insulin in diabetic ketoacidosis) II: Clinical and operational effectiveness

We previously demonstrated safe treatment of low- to moderate-severity (LTM) diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) using the SQuID protocol (subcutaneous insulin in DKA) in a non-intensive care unit (ICU) observation setting, with decreased emergency department length of stay (EDLOS). Here, we expand eligibility to include sicker patients and admission to a regular medical floor and collected more detailed clinical data in a near-real-time fashion.

This is a real-world, prospective, observational cohort study in an urban academic hospital (March 4, 2023-March 4, 2024). LTM DKA patients were treated with IV insulin (floor or ICU) or on SQuID. We compare fidelity (time to glargine and dextrose-containing fluids), safety (rescue dextrose for hypoglycemia), effectiveness (time to anion gap closure, time on protocol), and operational efficiency (time to bed request, EDLOS, and ICU admission rate since implementation of the protocol).

Of 84 patients with LTM DKA, 62 (74%) of were treated with SQuID and 22 (26%) with IV insulin. Fidelity was high in both groups. Rescue dextrose was required in five (8%) versus four (18%) patients, respectively (difference 9%, -31% to 10%). Compared to the IV insulin group, time to anion gap was 1.4 h shorter (95% CI -3.4 to 0.2 h) and time on protocol was 10.4 h shorter (95% CI -22.3 to -5.0 h) in SQuID patients. Median EDLOS was lower in the SQuID cohort 9.8 h (IQR 6.0-13.6) than the IV floor cohort 18.3 h (IQR 13.4-22.0 h), but longer than the overall IV insulin cohort. Since inception of SQuID, ICU admission rate in LTM DKA has decreased from 54% to under 21%.

In this single-center study, we observed excellent fidelity, equivalent or superior safety, and clinical and operational effectiveness with SQuID compared to IV insulin. The SQuID protocol has become the de facto default pathway for treatment of LTM DKA. Since inception of SQuID, ICU admissions in LTM DKA have decreased 33%.